Thermostatic fuel-regulating device for gas-ovens.



Bi. MEACHAM. THERMOSTATIC FUEL REGULATING DEVICE FOR GAS OVENS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4I I9IB.

B; E. MEACHMVI.

HERMosTAHc FUEL REGULANNG DEVICE FOR GAS ovENs.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4. 191BA Patented NOV. 19, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Swann;

BENJAMIN E. MEACHAM, 0E' LOB/AXN, OHIO, ASSIGNR T0 AMERICAN STOVE COMENY,

OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION or New JERSEY.

THERMOSTATIC FUEL-REGULATING DEVICE FOR GAS-OVENS.

To all whom it may con com Be it known that l, BENJAMIN l. MEA- CHAM, a citizen` of the United States, residing at Lorain, in the county of Lorain and State of Ohio` have invented certain new and useful improvements in Yhermostatic 15ml-Regulating Devices 't'or (las-(Nens, of which the following' is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to improvements in thermostatic fuel regulating' devices for gas ovens, and is an improvement upon the construction ot' an adjustable regulating wheel, shown in my Patent No. 1,236,335, dated August 7th, i917.

One object, olf my invention is to provide an adjustable regulating wheel so constructed that the wheel cannot be revolved past a complete revolution, thereby preventing the regulation being thrown completely out otA proper adjustment.

Another object of my invention is to provide an adjustable wheel with a detachable notched flange to cooperate with a spring catch.

Another object oi2 my invention to provide the adjustable wheel with an attachable indicator band.

Further objects et the invention will appear' from the following description and illustration:

:ln the accompanying drawings,

Figure- 1 is a perspective view showing a portion of an oven with my improved regulatini;` device applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken through the center of the adjustable wheel.

Fig. 3 is a detached plan View of the indicator hand to be used when the regulator is on the right-hand side of the oven.

Fig'. 4 is a detached pian View or" the in-` dicator hand when the regulator 1s used on the left-hand side of the oven.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detached perspective View of the adjustable wheel looking at the Fig. 6 is an enlarged detached view of the detachable notched band for the wheel.

All of the mechanism here shown, with the exception of the specie construction o't the adjustable wheel and its spring latch, are the. same as shown in my patent. hereinbefore mentioned, and only a very briei de-v Specication of Letters Patient. l

being turned Patented Nov. Eig, MMS

Application filed Sune 4, 191B. Serial No. 236,108.

scription thereof will be necessary to understand my present improvement. i

Referring now to that part of the illustration which is shown in my prior patent, l indicates a housing placed outside of the oven Communicating with the top of this housing is a gas conduit 3, and communicating with the lower end of the housing i, is an outlet conduit 4 which in turn communicates with a burner (not shown) of suitablel form, located within the oven. EX- tendingr from the top ot the housing" l is a. suitable thermostatic tube 5, which passes into the oven and is affected by the heat therein. Extending' vertically within the housing l is a lever G, the lower end of which is operatively connected with a valve stem 7, for controlling the flow of gas from the housing through the outlet conduit 4 to the burner.

The thermostatic tube 5 pivotally engaging the inner ver C near its upper end, as at 8. screwthreaded shaft 9 has its inner end 10 pivotally engaging the outer edge of the lever 6, between the point 8 and the outer end of the lever.

Attached to the outer end of the screwthreaded shait 9 isa regulatingw wheel 11.,

When the oven is cold, the lower end of the lever G pushes the va e-stem 7 outward against a suitable spring 1Q, thereby opening the gas valve. As the oven is heated and the thermostat 5 expands, its iulci'nn 8 nieves to the lett of Fig. l, thereby causing; the lower end of the lever G to nieve in the same direction and closethe gas valve, as shown and described in -my said patent. Also as described in my said patent the mechanism is set to close different predetermined heats by adjusting the screw-shaft S) thus forcing inward or outward the tulcrum lOof the said lever 6.

n my said patent, the regulating wheel is provided with degrees of heat and a spring latch which acts as a pointer, so that the wheel can be turned to degree ot' heat desired in the said oven.

However, in my said patent,'there was no way to prevent the regulating wheel trom more than a revolution thereby entirely misplacing the indications on the wheels in'respectto the pointer, and the operator would then be unable to determine where to put thewheel. That is to say, it

the gas valve atv the predetermined the wheel is turned more than a revolution in either direction, then the operator working with the degrees would be entirely thrown out and might be confused and turn the wheel in the wrong direction.

One object of my present improvement is to prevent such an occurrence 4by providlng the regulating wheel 1l with a stop finger cio-acting with a stationary part of the housing 1, which will prevent the wheel from being turned more than a revolution ,in either direction. This stop conslsts 1n providing the wheel with av stop finger 13, which will engage the s ring latch housing 14, stationarily.- attache to the housing 1,

and in placing the stopvfingerb'etween -the maximum and minimum heat indications'on the regulating wheel 11. vents the device from being regulated 'to too great a degree of heat and from being regulated beyond the minimum degree of heat, as well as preventing'it being thrown out of adjustment, as previously explained. y

The screw-shaft 9 is placed in the proper adjustment at the factory, and tlie wheel 11 is rigidly secured thereon in any suitable manner, as by a screw or pin 15. Afterba ing thus adjusted ,at the factory, 1t is 1mpossible to dist 'rb the adjustment Without dissembling the regulating parts of the de vice, through t e medium of the stop finger 13 and the fixe member or housing 14.

The inner edge of the Wheel 11 is providedwith an annular notched member 16, which cooperates with a 'spring latch 17, adapted to engage the notches of the wheel.

This notched member 16 is constructed separate from the wheel 11, and comprises an annular body portion 18 having the notches 19; an inwardly extending flange. 20 resting on the outer edge of the wheel 11, as shown in Fig. 2, and inwardly extending lips 21, which tightly engage the inner side of the flange of the wheel, and is thus held in permanent position on the wheel.

Another improvement is the provision ofan indicator band22, surrounding the wheel 11, and having its inner edge abutting against a finge 20 of the notched member 16, as shown in Fig. 2. 'This indicator band is made from a strip of metal, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and carries the indications thereon.

Referring to the indicator band 22 of Fig. 3, which is the one shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5, for the right-hand side of the oven, attention is directed to the novel arrangement of indications. It will be observed that between 225 and 250 are the words Very slow, between 250 and 300 is the word Slow, between. 300 and350 is the word Moderate, vbetween 350 and 400 is the word Hot, between 400 and 450 is the word` Quick7 and between 450 and 550 are the words Very hot.

This location pre- So far as lam aware, Iam the first to combine degree indications and other indications independent ot degrees, so that persons who are not familiar with degree cookery can use an older method indicated by the word describing what is way of' cooking.

Fig. 4 shows the indicator band with the same arrangement, only from the reversed end of thestop when the regulator is used on the left-hand side of the oven. The strip to be used for the right hand side of the oven is marked with R, and the stripto be used on the left hand side of the oven is marked with L.

Having thus described my invention, what I' claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l.. An indicator Wheel for the purpose described, comprising a body portion, a notchedv member at its top made as a separate piece and attached thereto, and an'indicator band around the periphery of the wheel between the notched member-and its opposite ace.

2. An improved indicator Wheel for the purpose described,`comprising a body-portion, a separate notched member attached at the inner edge of the periphery of the body portion, an indicator band around the periphery of the Wheel between the notched member and the opposite face of the wheel, said band markeddwith indications from minimum to maximum, and the notched member provided with an inner extending stop finger arranged in a line between the maximum ,and minimum indicated degrees of the said band, for the purpose described.

3. An improved indicator wheel for the purpose described, comprising a body portion, having its periphery provided with indesired in the dications from maximum to minimum, and

also provided with an inwardly extending tions, in combination with an adjustable shaft to which the housing carrying a stop member in the path of travel of the stop finger.

4. An improved'indicator wheel for the purpose described, comprising a body portion having its periphery provided with degree number indications from maximum-to minimum and also descriptive degree indications beginning with the slowest cooking at the minimum degree -number and ending with the hottest at the maximum number degree cooking, said wheel having laterally projecting notches, whereby number degree cooking and descriptive degree cooking 1s provided on a single indicator wheel.

5. An improved indicator Wheel tor the purpose described, comprising a body portion having its periphery provided with dewheel is attachedl and a descriptive degree cooking I gree number indications from maximum to minimum and also descriptive degree indications beginning with the slowest cooking at the minimum degree number and ending with the hottest descriptive degree cooking at the maximum number degree cooking, said wheel having laterally projecting notches, and an arm projecting laterally in the` same direction but beyond the said notches for the purpose described, whereby the single indicator wheel may be adjusted. to number degree cookery or descriptive de gree cookery.

6. An indicator wheel, comprising a body portion having a lateral peripheral flange, a notched member attached to the edge of \the flange and extending in the plane of the flange, said notched member having arms engaging the inner side of the said ilange -and serving to unite the notched member thereto.

7 An indicator wheel, comprising a body portion having a peripheral lateral flange, a notched member having an inwardl eX- tending flange abutting the edge ,or the wheel flange, said notched member having inwardly extending varms engaging the inner side of the ange of the wheel and serving to unite the notched member thereto.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMIN EMEACHAM.

Witnesses:

C. E. VAN DEUSEN, JAMES LANvER. 

